Cameron Diaz Wants to “Normalize” Separate Bedrooms for Married Couples

published Dec 22, 2023
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headshot of Cameron Diaz on colored background
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If you share a bed with your partner, you’ve probably thought, “This is nice, but I’d love to have my own bed.” And if you’ve had that thought, you are definitely not alone. In fact, actor Cameron Diaz supports the idea of having separate beds — and bedrooms.

During an appearance on the December 19 episode of the Lipstick on the Rim podcast, Diaz said, “We should normalize separate bedrooms. I would literally, like, I have my house, you have yours, we have the family house in the middle. I will go and sleep in my room, you go sleep in your room. I’m fine. And we have the bedroom in the middle that we can convene in for, you know, our relations.”

This isn’t the first time Diaz has shared her opinion on the matter, but she clarified that she and her husband, Benji Madden, don’t actually have separate bedrooms. “By the way, I don’t feel that way now because my husband is so wonderful. I said that before I got married.”

And while it seems she’s happy to snuggle up to her husband each night, the concept of separate bedrooms has been gaining popularity in recent years, with plenty citing clashing sleep schedules and needs as to reasons why it simply works better for them to sleep separately. 

In fact, psychologists actually back Diaz’s beliefs, noting that a “sleep divorce” can sometimes strengthen a relationship. “There is a lot of stigma, embarrassment, and shame that comes with talking about sleep separation,” psychologist Susan Albers, PsyD explained to the Cleveland Clinic. “Fortunately, a few celebrities have come forward and said that they and their partner sleep in separate rooms, so I think it’s becoming easier for people to talk about and more normalized.”

“Sleep is the cornerstone of our mental health,” she added. “Research indicates that when we are well-rested, we communicate better, we interact better, and we have better intimacy.”

Quality sleep is so crucial for your mental and physical health, so props to Diaz for helping to normalize good sleep hygiene, whatever it may look like. Her admission comes on the heels of supermodel Linda Evangelista admitting last month that she hasn’t dated in years, telling the U.K.’s Sunday Times, “I don’t want to sleep with anybody anymore,” she told the outlet. “I don’t want to hear somebody breathing.”

Of course, there’s also this 2016 gem of a headline: “Whoopi Goldberg’s Thoughts on Marriage: ‘I Don’t Want Somebody in My House.’” And truly, more power to you if you prefer to live and/or sleep solo.